What Mileage Is Good for a Used Car?

When it comes to mileage, many drivers want to make sure that their next used car has as few miles on its odometer as possible. That’s because higher mileage is viewed as negative and to be avoided. However, high mileage isn’t as bad as its reputation makes it seem.

One reason is that high mileage doesn’t always mean poor maintenance and low mileage doesn’t necessarily equate to great care or high performance. For instance, a 10-year-old car with 100,000 miles on the odometer has likely been maintained better than a two-year-old car with 50,000 miles on it. This context gives you an idea of how much heavy use a particular car has undergone.

Similarly, a one-year-old car with 5,000 miles on the odometer may not have ever been maintained as it sat in a garage or out in the elements for months. Ultimately, evaluating the context of the total mileage will give you a better idea of how much wear and tear the vehicle has truly experienced.

How Does Mileage Affect a Car?

Many drivers look for used cars with lower mileage because of how they perceive high mileage to affect vehicles. It’s only natural to assume that a car with a higher number of miles will:

• Come with mechanical damage
• Need a lot of repairs
• Have hidden damage
• Be in poor condition

However, mileage is just one factor that affects a car’s condition. Additionally, many modern cars are created to last much longer than 10 years or 100,000 miles. So, you don’t need to give the number on the odometer more worth than it carries.

What Other Factors Affect a Used Car?

While you might be focused on finding a car with the least number of miles on it, there are other factors that you should consider. They include:

• Condition: The presence of bumps, dents, scratches, or rust can be telling of how well the vehicle was maintained.
• Geographic location: Regions that are cold and wet can impact cars differently, even when they have the same mileage.
• Maintenance records: Vehicles that have been maintained according to the manufacturer’s schedules are more likely to be in great condition, regardless of mileage.
• Accident history: A vehicle that has been in an accident—or more than one—can have more wear and tear than a vehicle with high mileage.

Being aware of all the other factors that impact the used car that you are considering will provide you with a more realistic view of its overall condition than a simple odometer reading could.